


Contingency

by simonxriley



Category: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: Age Difference, Blood and Injury, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Flirting, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, I love affectionate tachanka, M/M, Minor Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Some Humor, Undercover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:13:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22127716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simonxriley/pseuds/simonxriley
Summary: When an undercover mission goes horribly wrong and Specialists Tachanka and Phoenix end up on the run, they have to find a way to get back to Hereford and bring Harry the crucial information Phoenix accidentally found. With an ocean and a few hundred professionally trained soldiers between them, getting there is the least of their worries.
Relationships: Alexsandr "Tachanka" Senaviev/Original Female Character(s), Alexsandr "Tachanka" Senaviev/Skylar "Phoenix" Jackson, Maxim "Kapkan" Basuda/Timur "Glaz" Glazkov
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GearRedfield](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GearRedfield/gifts).



> Kapkan and Glaz are both implied and not, but i decided to tag the ship because they will be in it, but in later chapters. Anyways this was based off a prompt my friend sent me "kissing to hide from bad guys" and I made it into another multi-chapter fic cause why not? I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Russian:  
> Kotyonok = kitten  
> Дерьмо = crap  
> Da = Yes

All Tachanka could hear was gunfire and explosions as he tried to patch Skylar’s gun wound up in an office building in West Virginia of all places. 

She was losing blood fast, turning her ivory colored skin to pale and that made him slightly panic. He just got her and he wasn’t about to lose her, not now, not ever. And he was damn sure those Sentinel assholes would pay for what they did. 

Skylar’s blood covered hand reached out to him, and he quickly took it into his. He looked down at her with glistening eyes and brushed some strands of chestnut brown hair from her forehead. 

“Hang in there kotyonok, you’re going to be fine. I promise.” 

She forced a smile upon her face, that only tugged at his heart. “I’m sorry Alex. For everything, I was stupid to take that information, I should’ve known they would’ve known it was me. Now look.”

“Don’t say that Skylar, the information you found was crucial and will help us take them down for good. Now let’s get that wound cleaned up and patched, da?” 

She nodded her head and scrunched her face at the pain as he put pressure against her wound to stop the bleeding. It wasn’t the first time she’s been in this predicament, but it might be her last. And if she does die, at least she can reunite with her old squad in the afterlife. 

With a free hand he pulled some gauze from the med-kit he found and placed it on the wound, and grabbed the bandages next. He moved the gauze from the wound to see the blood pool from the wound, making him slam his fist against the couch. 

“Hey?” Tachanka looked up to meet her gaze, tears started to well in his eyes. “It’s okay Alex, I just didn’t make it this time.” 

“Please don’t say that, I just got you Skylar, that’s all I ever wanted since you joined.” Tears began to blur his vision and he wiped them with his sleeve. “You will make it kotyonok, I’ll make sure of it.” 

“Everything’s going to be okay Alex, you made it and that’s all I ever wanted.” 

She brought her hand up to his face and cupped his cheek, feeling the coarseness of the stubble he had on the palm of her hand. He leaned into the gesture, closing his eyes to let a few tears slide down his cheeks. Then he felt her hand fall down from his face faster than he would have liked and that scared him. He opened his eyes and his heart sank. 

“Skylar?” 

_Three Months Ago..._

The sun was shining through the curtains and the birds were chirping away on this beautiful spring morning. 

Skylar was doing some yoga in the room she shares with Ash before her normal workout at the gym, wanting to limber up more just in case Smoke wants another rematch from last time. 

Switching into the downward facing dog she couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of Smoke wanting another boxing rematch. The second time was only fair since she clocked him good in the jaw by mistake the first time. Now it would be because he didn’t like being beat, and that made her laugh. 

Besides, she couldn’t have a rematch anyways, she needs to meet Glaz in an hour for sniper training. That she was looking forward to after this hectic week of training with the FBI and Spetsnaz. There’s nothing like accidentally running face first into Fuze’s shield and walking smack dab into Tachanka because you didn’t see him while turning the corner in simulation. 

She can still hear Thermite’s voice. “How the fuck did you manage to NOT see Tachanka? He ain’t a small or a quiet man.” She couldn’t give him an answer, just laugh in embarrassment as Tachanka helped her up. 

After all that she couldn’t wait to just have a nice, slow training day with Glaz, where no injuries will occur. Just them lying on the ground, telling each other where a target is. 

Once she was done with a few more yoga poses she got off her mat to roll it up and place it underneath her bed and grabbed her sneakers to put them on. As she tied them up she heard the comms switch on. 

“I need Specialists Tachanka and Phoenix in my office in five.” 

Harry’s voice rang out over the comms making her arch her brow in amusement on why he wanted her and Tachanka specifically. Well she was about to find out. She grabbed her phone from her bed and left her room. 

As she walked down the hallways leading to Harry’s office she passed Jackal testing out his eyenox with Mira. Looks like the updates were coming along swimmingly. 

When she rounded the corner to Harry’s office she nearly ran right into Tachanka, again. She grabbed her chest, calming her beating heart. “Alex you scared the crap out of me.” 

“Sorry kotyonok.” He chuckled. “I decided to wait for you.” 

She stood up a little straighter as her heart began to beat at it’s normal rate. “That’s sweet of you! Do you find it weird that just the two of us got called? No one else did.” 

“Da, hopefully it’ll be something good.” 

“Hmm.” 

She followed him into Harry’s office and sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk, Tachanka taking the one next to her, giving her a small wink as he took his seat - making her laugh and shake her head with a smile on her face. 

“I expect you’re both eager to know why I called you?” They both nodded their heads and he continued. “I need you both to go undercover.” Shock and disbelief showed on both of their faces and before either of them could retort, Harry held up his hand for them to stop. “I know what you’re thinking, why me? It’s not terrorists, at least not right now. I need you both to go undercover in a private military company called Sentinel. I got word that they’re planning a few executions on world leaders.” 

“And you need us to go in and get any intel we can, right?” asked Skylar with an annoyed tone, making Tachanka snort. 

“Precisely. I know you two aren’t happy about this, but you guys were the only ones that have the skill sets they’re looking for. And speaking of that, you need to pass their selections process.” 

“Selection process?” asked Tachanka with a raised brow. 

“Yes.” Harry pushed himself off of his desk with a little too much enthusiasm for Skylar’s taste and went to grab two files off of his desk and handed them to them. “Every year they have a selection process with former veterans or former military contract personnel. To find the best for their company and with your backgrounds with the Spetsnaz and Marines, you’ll both be qualified for it.” 

Skylar opened the file and skimmed through it, nothing too bad caught her eye, they were pretty much like every other private military company, but these guys had the money and the weapons to do a lot of damage if necessary. They even had the means of hacking into nearly anything, no wonder why Harry wanted them in Sentinel. 

“These guys can do some heavy damage if they wanted. Do we have a time frame?” asked Tachanka. 

“As of right now no. If things change, I’ll contact you on a secure network. The same network I need you two to relay the intel you’ve found so I can contact the local authorities and send some of our other specialists to help with the problem. You guys leave at midnight, so I expect you have a lot to discuss. I need you guys here at 11:30 for a quick meeting and last minute debrief.” 

They both got up from the chairs with the files in hand and left the office, as soon as Tachanka shut the door behind him, Skylar looked up at him in disbelief and sighed through her nose. 

“Want to go over our plan in my room kotyonok?” 

“Yeah, it’ll be the only place we can get enough privacy.” 

As they headed towards Tachanka’s room, so many things were going through both of their minds. How they both needed to pass the selection process, then get enough trust in Sentinel to get the intel Harry wants and relay said intel to him on the hopefully fully secure network he has for them. 

Tachanka opened his door, letting her go in first. And the first thing you see as you walk in is his very beloved LMG sitting in the corner. She was kind of envious that he got a room to himself, one of the perks about being one of the older Specialists on base she guessed. 

He shut the door behind him and took a seat on his bed in front of her with a heavy sigh. She could see the annoyance on his face, that softened a bit when he looked over at her. 

“Undercover, this should be fun.” He scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I think our first plan is to get into Sentinel.” 

“I agree, if we can’t get in then it’s all for nothing. Once we’re in, we can figure out the rest.” She set the file down next to her and scrubbed a hand down her face. “The only thing I’m worried about is Sentinel searching us and finding out we’re with Rainbow. That’ll fuck everything up and we’ll probably be dead.” 

“I wouldn’t worry about that Sky, our files within Rainbow are supposed to be strictly on paper. They won’t find anything, just our files when we were in the military. Our families.” 

“Yeah that doesn’t help Alex but thanks.” 

“Yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck and laughed. “Sorry.” 

“It’s okay.” She laughed, then maneuvered herself up against the wall. “I’m still envious of you that you have your own room.” 

He tossed his file onto the small desk on the opposite side of his room and leaned back against his headboard, taking his phone out of his pocket. “I thought you liked rooming with Ash kotyonok?” 

“I do, just sometimes I miss having my own room.” She chuckled and grabbed her phone from her pocket and unlocked it, seeing a message from Glaz that reminded her of their training that she was now late for. “Crap I had training with Timur this morning, guess I won’t be making it with this undercover crap.” 

She messaged him back saying sorry that she wouldn’t be able to make it and that she had an upcoming mission with Tachanka. “I was looking forward to that too, especially after the long week I had.” 

Tachanka set his phone down and shook his head, placing both hands behind his head and leaned back. “You only have yourself to blame for that, little miss reckless.” 

She narrowed her eyes and sighed through her nose at the smug look that spread across his face, then crossed her arms. “I’m not reckless mister I could alert a base full of hostiles with my loud ass voice.” 

That smug look on his face turned to amusement and he moved his hands to his lap as he leaned forward, inching his way closer to her. Skylar could feel his breath on her face and she arched a brow in a taunting manner, trying to egg him on just a bit more.   
“I may be loud, but at least I don’t run into people when I walk around a corner.” 

“Yeah because they’ll hear you before you turn the corner Alexsandr.” 

He let out one of his booming laughs and leaned back again, giving her a big smile that she couldn’t help mirror. “Feisty as always Skylar. I like that.” 

She gave him a cheeky grin and laughed. “I know you do. Wait won’t Sentinel know I was in the FBI?” 

“They shouldn’t, but just in case, make up a story on why you left.” He gave her a reassuring smile and crossed his arms. “Specialists Phoenix and Tachanka on an undercover mission to stop a private military company from killing a few world leaders. Should be fun.” 

Skylar scoffed and grabbed her phone again, leaning her back against the wall. Tachanka watched her for a moment, a small smile spreading across his face. She never stayed long when she needed to see him for something, whether it was to ask for some oil for her gun, to relay a message because he was ignoring his texts or to steal some of his hidden vodka stash. Either way he was enjoying her company and hopes she doesn’t leave too soon. 

A moment later she looked up at him, mouth slightly gaping. “Oh my god, you won’t be able to take your LMG. What will you do?” 

It took a moment for him to rack his brain around what she just said, his head turning to look at his beloved LMG in the corner of his room and sadness overtook his features. Skylar pouted her bottom lip and couldn’t help but feel bad for him and went over to hug him. 

“It’s okay, it’ll be safe here anyways. Don’t want to lose it or have someone break it because I am very sure that those Sentinel bastards wouldn’t care about it as much as you do.” 

The sadness that etched his face didn’t last long and was turned into a smile. He wrapped his arms around her in a firm, yet gentle hug. “Thank you kotyonok!” 

“You’re very welcome Alex!” She pulled away with a small smile on her face and let out a content sigh. “What does that mean, kotyonok? You’ve been calling me that ever since I got here, and I’m curious now.” 

“It means kitten. You’re small, feisty and cute like one, perfect nickname for you.” 

“You think I’m cute?” 

“Da, I actually think you’re beautiful!” 

Her face softened and the small smile that graced her face turned into a much happier one that made his heart melt. “Awe thanks! And you’re not too bad looking yourself, for an older fella.” 

She gave him a wink and went back into her previous spot. 

“Thanks kotyonok!” He chuckled. “I’m shocked you haven’t left yet, you normally don’t stay too long.” 

“Do you want me too?” 

“No. You just don’t stay long that’s all.” 

She nodded her head in agreement, she really didn’t stay long, maybe ten minutes tops. Too afraid to get closer to him than she already was, and that was pretty damn close. And she has Kapkan and Glaz to thank for that, if Kapkan didn’t take her under his wing to train and Glaz wasn’t a sniper then she probably wouldn’t be this close with him. But having a crush was always a pain for Skylar and she always tried her best to push those feelings away. Now she was going to be undercover with him for the next god knows how long and that both excited her and scared her. She just hopes the outcome is the latter. 

“I don’t want to annoy you.” 

“When have you ever annoyed me? I let you steal my vodka don’t I?” 

“Never that I know of, and I stole your vodka about a handful of times since I’ve been here.” 

“See. You are one of the least annoying people on this base.” He crossed his arms and arched a brow, though she could see that small smirk forming on his face. “That’s still five times kotyonok, I might have to make Maxim toughen your training.” 

“Don’t make me steal your LMG Alex. It’d be ashamed to have it disappear one night when you’re not in your room.” 

“Thanks for telling me Skylar now I know.” 

“Oh shush.” 

She laughed and grabbed her phone with a sigh, as did he with his and they both sat in silence as they went through their phones. Or she went through hers while Tachanka was browsing for more Degtyaryov. The silence didn’t last long between them, he saw from his peripheral vision her looking up from her phone directing her attention at him, which forced his to hers. 

“Do you think Timur and Maxim are together?” 

Tachanka felt his breath get caught in his throat forcing a cough from his lips. “Not that I know of, why do you ask?” 

“I’m just curious, because sometimes I think they are. Between the longing stares, Glaz squeezing Kapkan’s thigh under the table in the cafeteria, the whispers and I’m sure I heard them going at it in their room a few weeks ago. I was wondering if they told you or Shuhrat for that matter.” 

“No, but now I’m curious.” 

“Yeah, well our curiosity is gonna have to wait until after our undercover job.” 

“Дерьмо.” 

“It’ll be something to look forward too. I hope they are, I think they’re cute together.” Tachanka didn’t say anything, just nodded his head, making her quirk a brow in reply and look at him weird. For as long as she’s known him, he spoke his mind, why not now? Maybe he just wasn’t sure how he felt. “Alright you’re normally not this quiet, what’s wrong?” 

“Nothing is wrong.” 

He kept a neutral facial expression on his face to waiver her. It was a little white lie he told, there wasn’t anything wrong, at least not with Glaz and Kapkan being together, he’s happy for them if they are. The problem he had was the person he wanted to be with was sitting right in front of him and he couldn’t tell her the truth, at least not now. Not when they have to go undercover and he doesn’t want her to have his feelings for her to plague her mind when they should be focusing on the task at hand. 

“I don’t believe you but I’ll let it go for now.” She moved off his bed and stood up to stretched. As she did her shirt showed a bit of her lower, very toned abdomen that sent more blood rushing south. Thankful that he can keep his cock in check or he would’ve had a pretty big tent in his pants right now. “I’m gonna get out of these clothes and into something else, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” 

“Alright.” 

He watched the door shut behind her and let out a breath of relief. That was the first time they’ve ever flirted so intensely before and his body was getting a little too excited about it. Now he needs to calm himself down before she returns. 

To occupy his mind better he got up from his bed to retrieve the file from his desk and sat back down. Nothing could help his body relax more than thoroughly reading the file on the upcoming undercover mission about a military company that wants to kill a few world leaders. That or screwing Skylar’s brains out, unfortunately he could only do one of those things. 

He opened up the file, looking at the few pictures that littered the first page. Most of them were the weapons and explosives they possessed. MK14’s, RPGs, shotguns, sniper rifles, AK-47’s, turrets mounted on some of the jeeps, and a ton of C4, grenades, and flash-bangs. Everything an Army would need. 

Any of the personnel on there had their faces hidden, which wouldn’t be a problem for him since he already wore a balaclava when out on a mission, it helps make his helmet more comfortable. On the other hand Skylar doesn’t cover her face, and that made him wonder how she’ll feel about it. 

It wasn’t long after when his door opened and she walked in again, now wearing a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. She also had a light jacket in her hand along with the file. 

She took her seat back on his bed, setting her jacket aside. “This file kinda sucks, there’s hardly any info on these guys. I hate we’re going in there blind.” 

“I am too.” He saw the worry in her eyes and grabbed her hand, gently squeezing it. “Everything will be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you, you have my word.” 

“Having my back, like always.” 

“That’ll never change.” 

**xXx**

After nearly spending the whole day with him she was back in her room to pack for the upcoming mission. There was an hour left before they needed to meet with Harry for the last minute debrief and then they were off.

This was the first undercover mission Skylar has ever been on and to say she was nervous was an understatement, she was terrified. The only thing that gave her hope was that Tachanka was going to be there with her. That’s when the invisible light bulb above her head went off - she grabbed her phone and left her room. 

Skylar practically ran her way to Bandit and Jager’s room, knocking on the door a few times. 

It wasn’t long before the door opened and the exact person she was hoping was there, was. “Oh thank god you’re here. I need your help.” 

Bandit blinked his eyes a few times, then stepped aside to let her in. “What’s it about?” 

She walked into his room, noticing Jager wasn’t there, then again he’s probably either still in the workshop or working on his chopper. She turned around to look at him, rubbing the back of her neck and sighed. 

“I have this undercover mission with Tachanka coming up in a few hours and...to put it simply, I’m scared.” 

“Ah.” He gently kicked the door shut with his foot and walked over to his bed and sat down, patting the spot next to him for her to sit and she obliged. “Undercover is tricky business and can cost a lot of someone. My advice to you would be, don’t lose yourself. You’re going to have to lie your way through a lot and do things you’ll regret for the rest of your life and eventually you might start to believe it.” 

She nodded her head slowly, taking in what he just said. “Thanks Dom. That that’s actually good advice.” 

“Years of experience Sky.” 

“Yeah, that’s true.” She chuckled and stood up. “Thanks again for the advice and I should get back to packing what little I can bring before the last minute debrief with Harry.” 

“You’re welcome.” He watched her walk to his door, placing her hand on the knob. “Hey Skylar.” She didn’t say anything just turned her attention to him. “Good luck.” 

She gave him a small smile and turned the knob. “Thank you.”

After that much needed small pep talk from Bandit she was back in her room packing what she could bring. Which wasn’t much, just her Marine fatigues that she thankfully brought with her to Rainbow when she joined for some reason, her bottom half of her FBI fatigues since they were just black, her boots and some of her civilian clothing. She was also taking her journal with her for more sentimental reason and to pass time when she’s board. 

Now with the packing over and done with, all she had left to do was head back over to Tachanka’s room and then it’s off to the briefing in fifteen minutes. 

She grabbed her phone from her pocket, the screen turning on as she went to shut it off, making a flood of guilt go through her body. She hated that she couldn’t tell her parents’ about the undercover mission, knowing they’ll worry to death about her being MIA. But she understood why she couldn’t contact them, it was a risk and a risk she couldn’t take. 

With a heavy sigh she shut off her phone and placed it in the top drawer of her nightstand, then grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder and headed for his room.

**xXx**

When she came to his room, she saw his door was opened an inch, she walked over and peeked her head in, seeing him sitting on his bed with his phone. “Hello.”

He looked up when he heard her voice and a smile spread across his face. “Hi.”

Skylar laughed and opened the door more and walked in, closing it behind her. She could see his packed bag was on his desk and set hers next to it and sat down on his bed with a sigh. 

He could see that she was nervous by how she clenched her hands into fists to make them stop shaking. This was a lot to put on someone like Skylar, she’s young and has already been through a lot. Now Harry wants to throw her to the wolves, taking away every last ounce of innocence she still possessed. The only plus side he can see, is that he’s going to be there with her and he’s damn sure he’ll keep that little innocence she has intact. 

He placed his phone down on the bed and leaned forward, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry, everything is going to be alright.” 

She gave him a small smile and placed her hand on his. “I hope so. Tomorrows going to be a long day.” 

“Da, it will be.” He removed his hand from her shoulder, picking up his phone and turned it off. “So you better get some sleep on the chopper ride there.” 

“I can’t sleep on choppers, and I’m too nervous to sleep.” 

“Okay, well at least try if you can.” 

“If I do I’m using you as a pillow.” 

“That’s fine.” He laughed and then stood up. “Come on we need to meet Harry.”

Skylar groaned as she got up, grabbing her bag from his desk and slung it over her shoulders once again. “Let’s get this over with.” 

xXx

Skylar bounced her leg as she listened to Harry talk about the mission and how it was crucial for them to get the intel, like they didn’t already know that. As much as the information she was getting was crucial, all she cared about was how she and Tachanka would be able to leave Sentinel without being killed for it. 

“Okay, I have a question, what about getting Tachanka and I out of Sentinel when this is all over and done with? What’s that plan?” 

Shocked showed over both Harry and Tachanka’s face, they both knew she never talked out of turn and to see her do it was a surprise to say the least. 

“No need to worry about that Skylar, we have evac already planned for when that day comes.” She sighed and nodded her head. “Now did you two come up with a plan?” 

“The only thing we came up with is to get into Sentinel. If we can’t, then it’s all for nothing.” said Tachanka

“We’re going to figure it out once we get in.” 

Harry nodded his head, but they could both tell he was hoping for a better plan than that. Yet that was the only plan they could think of when they aren’t even apart of the group yet. Everything else will come as it may. 

They both watched him to go into his drawer and pull out two, very old , outdated phones and slid them over to them. “Yes I know these things are outdated, but they’re the only way you could communicate with me without them tracing the number back.” 

“I haven’t used a flip phone since my high school days.” said Skylar as she grabbed one. “I suspect the number you’ll be using is already installed?” 

“It is.” He stood up and sighed, glancing between them both. “I bid you guys good luck.” 

“Thanks.” They both said in unison and stood up, grabbing their bags. 

“The chopper should be waiting for you.” 

They both nodded their heads and left his office. 

As they walked towards the chopper, the more nervous she got and the more her heart raced. All she wanted to do was to go back inside and go to bed, forget about this mission. The only good thing she could think of, was that she gets to spend more time with Tachanka and get to know him some more. 

Tachanka took her bag and secured it in the chopper as she took a seat and joined her a moment later. When the rotors started up Skylar intertwined their hands together, making him look down, and then to her. She met his gaze and he gave her a reassuring smile. As scared as she was, she was going to be strong, not just for him but for herself as well. She was a Phoenix after-all. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I decided I’m gonna try and make this a multi-pov story because I don’t want kapkan and Glaz to just show up in a future chapter, I want them to be in the story more even though their parts might not be as exciting and they probably won’t be in every chapter. So I’m not sure how well this chapter will be so any feedback will be appreciated. 
> 
> Russian translation:   
> Kotyonok=kitten  
> Da = yes  
> Zasranec = asshole(s)

Tachanka couldn’t sleep as hard as he tried too, so to pass the time he began to think up a plan on how to get him and Skylar into Sentinel. He personally never had to deal with a selection process. At age eighteen he was drafted into the Red Army and was later transferred over to the Spetsnaz, never having to go through the grueling boot camp for it. But how much worse could the selection process be? He’s been in the military for a few decades now and has learned enough combat training to be efficient and Skylar. Well if she could complete the Marines boot camp, one of the more punishing boot camps in the U.S military at age seventeen, then she could get through whatever Sentinel throws at them. 

Unfortunately he couldn’t come up with one and that made him annoyed and more furious at this whole undercover gig. Going in blind wasn’t his forte and knowing next to nothing on this so called group didn’t help. 

He turned his head to look down at Skylar who happened to have fallen asleep on his shoulder an hour or so into the flight. Which made him more relaxed knowing she got some sleep instead of none, he on the other hand could pull an all nighter and be fine the next day, wouldn’t be the first time he did something like that. And as much as he liked her closeness he couldn’t enjoy it as much as he wanted too, not when they’re lives are hanging in the balance. All he can do is hope they get closer over time. 

She moved slightly, eyes slowly opening to see she was in a chopper and not in her bed back on base. Moving her head off his arm she stretched her stiff neck and looked over at him. “I thought this was going to be a dream and I was going to wake up in my bed.” 

“No such luck kotyonok, and we still have a few more hours to go.” 

“Wonderful.” She rolled her eyes and sunk into her seat next to him. “Where are we even going?” 

He looked down at her to see her completely slouched in seat, something he’s never seen her do before. She’s always had good posture even while sitting, well up until now that is. 

“Harry messaged me while you were asleep, we’re supposed to meet a man named Everett Collins in Camp Mackall.” 

“Camp Mackall?” She shot up in her seat, looking over at him with confusion and worry etched on her face and eyes. “That’s an active U.S Army training facility near Fort Bragg. I don’t like that.” 

“You’re saying we’re going to meet a man in an active U.S Army training facility where we have to go through a selection process to get into a terrorist organization?” 

His mouth went into a thin line and he let out an annoyed sigh. This just rang up more questions and uncertainty than he’d like. Now he’d rather have the pilot turn the chopper around and head back to base than deal with this bullshit. 

“Yeah, I think the terrorist organization is within the U.S Military, which isn’t shocking.” She leaned back in her chair and let out a heavy sigh, “This should be fun.” 

Tachanka leaned back against his seat, crossing his arms and let out an annoyed sigh, then turned his attention over to her. “This is turning into more bullshit than I would like to be dealing with.” 

“But you get to deal with it with me.” She gave him a cheeky smile that forced a laugh from his lips. “You could be on this undercover mission with someone else remember. I consider you lucky.” 

He let out one of his booming laughs and uncrossed his arms, letting them fall into his lap. She was right of course, he could be stuck on this ridiculous undercover mission with someone else, someone he doesn’t exactly get along with. And that would make him even more annoyed about this whole ordeal. 

“Da, that is true. Who knows, maybe we’ll even get closer during this.” 

Skylar could feel the warmth in her cheeks rise, no doubt turning red. Thankfully the chopper was badly lit and she hoped he wouldn’t notice in the dim lighting. “Who else am I going to get close too? The people we’re supposed to take down? No thank you, I’m sticking to you like glue.” 

He let out another booming laugh, but it was the smile on his face that made her heart skip a beat. How his blue eyes lit up, even under the dim lighting of the chopper and how they crinkled at the side. For someone who has a neutral resting face most of the time, he did have a nice smile. 

“I take that as a da, we will?”

She angled herself in her seat, bringing a knee up to her chest while the other stayed on the ground. “Alex, you’re one of the only people I trust in Rainbow and yeah we don’t get to work with each other a lot, but I am looking forward to getting to know you more over the course of however long this lasts.” 

“You trust me?” 

His face softened under her gaze and she looked over at him in slight disbelief. Did he truly think she didn’t trust him? “Yes. You’re blunt but in a good way, I like that clarity and did you forget about the fact you saved my life?” 

That mission brought back memories neither of them wanted. How Harry wanted her to protect a High Value Target with Tachanka, Caveira, Pulse and Kapkan. She never understood why, maybe it was to have another person roam around the building with Caveira. All she remembers is being called back to the room by Tachanka and standing near a wall when a breach charge goes off right next to her, stunning her. If he didn’t grab her and pull her over the couch, well she wouldn’t be here right now. 

“I would never forget that Skylar. We almost lost you that day and no, you don’t owe me for that either.” 

“Well that vodka I gave you afterwards was my payment, though you deserved a case of it.” She looked away from him momentarily, letting out a sigh. “I know I don’t owe you for what you did, but at the same time I feel like I do. You saved my life, I’m only here now because of you.” 

He placed his hand on her knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Kotyonok, that’s all I want. You being alive. Right here, right now. Skylar you have a whole life ahead of you, mine came and gone.” 

She placed her hand on top of his that resided on her knee, giving it a light squeeze. “You’re still breathing so you still have a life ahead of you too.” 

Tachanka locked eyes with her, lips pursed into a thin line. The thought of settling down someday sounded nice, maybe if he was twenty years younger. Now, it’s probably unlikely. He was already in his fifties, has spent the last three plus decades in the military and he’s hesitant on asking the woman he likes out on a date. 

“I think settling down isn’t going to happen for me. Maybe a few decades ago.” 

“Never say never, life might shock you.” She gave him a small smile, feeling her heart skip yet another beat. “You just need to take the leap.” 

“Maybe I will, someday.” 

She removed her hand off of his and he retracted it from her knee, letting out a soft sigh. He’s been trying to take that leap for months and would have without hesitation, but Skylar. Skylar is different. She’s the youngest Specialist within Rainbow, why would she want to date someone twenty-six years older than her? But at the same time, she’s everything he wants for a significant other. Feisty, kind, can deal with his boisterous self, can hold her alcohol and she’s compassionate. Her looks were just an added bonus. 

“Why haven’t you? You don’t seem like the type to shy away from something.” 

“I..” He looked away and hung his head, thinking up a good reason on why he would shy away without telling her the truth. “I haven’t decided if I wanted to or not yet.” 

She slowly nodded her head, wondering too herself if she should dig more on the matter or let it be. On one hand she wanted to be nosy and figure out why, the other thinks she should be more logical and leave it alone. 

“Well I can’t help you with that, maybe you’ll come to a conclusion after this is over with.” 

He let out a small laugh and looked down at his booted feet. A part of him hopes he does, that maybe being undercover and being the only ones they trust, might just be the right push he needs. Or maybe he’ll just keep it to himself and let Skylar live out her life with someone else. Granted if she even shares those feelings. 

“I hope so.” 

Skylar grasped his shoulder, giving it a small squeeze and gave him a small smile before turning to sit normally in her seat next to him. “I’m sure you’ll figure something out, or so I hope.” 

He turned his head and met her gaze, a small smile spreading across his face. “Thanks kotyonok.” 

xXx

Glaz was walking towards the cafeteria in hopes of finding Skylar. They were supposed to meet for training this morning and she was a no show, not even an answer from her phone and that kind of worried him. She never missed a practice and if she had to she would’ve texted him beforehand. 

As he walked in he scanned the room, seeing some of the other operators eating a late breakfast. But no Skylar. However he did spy Kapkan in his normal seat with Fuze at their normal table and walked over to them. 

“Have either of you seen Sky? She hasn’t shown up for practice and she hasn’t answered any of my texts or calls.” He took a seat and let out a heavy sigh. “And have any of you seen Alex as well? He’s usually here.” 

“The last time I saw him was yesterday afternoon, he looked annoyed over something.” said Fuze. “As for Sky I haven’t seen her since yesterday morning.” 

“Skylar and Alex are both not here?” Glaz’s ears perked up and he glanced between the both of them. “Do you think he finally bit the bullet and asked her out and they’re not on base right now?” 

Kapkan snorted and placed his fork on his plate. “I highly doubt it. If he was going to, he would’ve done it already.” 

Glaz glared over at him, lightly kicking at his shin from under the table, forcing a low grunt from the hunters throat. “We all know how much he likes her Maxim and we know he hasn’t because he doesn’t want to ruin their relationship.” 

“I think that shows how much he cares for her.” interrupted Fuze. “He’d rather her not know his true feeling in fear of losing her for good. It took you guys a few years to get together, let them take their time as well.” He glanced between them both, seeing the slight shock across both of their faces. More so Kapkan’s. “Da, I know about you two.” 

“How’d you find out?” asked Kapkan 

“My room is right next to yours, how do you think I found out?” 

“Oh...sorry. We’ll tone it down a notch.” Kapkan felt a bit of embarrassment, he never noticed they were that loud. There were no complaints, so there was nothing to worry about. But now he wonders who else knows. 

“Good, I’d rather not hear you two having sex when I’m trying to sleep.” He stood up, grabbing his tray of food and glanced between them one last time. “I’ll be in the workshop.” 

Glaz and Kapkan watched him leave for a moment and then turned to look at each other. “Do you want to be my spotter? Without Skylar I don’t have one and I can’t train.” 

“Sure, I don’t have much to do today.” 

They both stood up, Kapkan grabbed his plate and went to go put it away while Glaz waited for him at the door. 

The walk to the training facility was rather quiet between them, Glaz’s mind reeling with possibilities on where his friends might be. It’s not normal for them to just disappear from the base without anyone knowing. That’s when the invisible light bulb in his head went off and he stopped in his tracks, turning to Kapkan. 

“Do you think they’re on an undercover mission? Why else would they have disappeared.”

“That is plausible and would explain the annoyed expression on Alex’s face yesterday.” He chuckled, forcing Glaz to arch a brow. “He’s on an undercover mission with the person he has a major crush on. This will be one mission he will hate and love all at the same time.” 

Glaz snorted and nodded his head in agreement. “That is true. Who knows maybe they’ll come back a couple.”

Kapkan could only nod in agreement. 

xXx

They landed in Camp Mackall a few hours later. As the chopper came to a halt Skylar looked around to see one squad training, which isn’t unheard of, she lost count of how many times she had night training back when she was a Marine. She sighed and turned to him, patting his knee before she stood up. “Let’s get this over with.” 

She heard him chuckle when she jumped down from the chopper, Tachanka soon followed, grabbing their bags as well. 

Not a moment later they were greeted by a man they presumed was Everett. He was tall, blonde and was wearing typical Army fatigues. “I suspect you two are Sergeant Jackson and Lieutenant Colonel Senaviev?” 

“Yes.”

“Da.” 

He nodded his head and glanced between them. “I’m Lieutenant Collins. Now the way we normally do things here is when a new batch of recruits come in the selection process starts in a few hours. But there’s been a slight change of plans.” Skylar and Tachanka glanced at each other, giving a look of concern and curiosity. “We’re down four recruits due to weather and the selection process will be tomorrow night. I’ll show you to your room.” 

“Will we be sharing one?” asked Skylar

“Yes you will, that won’t be a problem right?” 

“No sir, just curious.” 

He nodded his head and motioned for them to follow him. As they walked to the barracks they both looked around, inscribing the lay out in their brains. Nothing too hard to remember, most barracks were the same. 

After entering the building farthest from the landing strip and going up two flights of stairs they finally made it to their room. 

“Here you guys are. Selection begins at 2100, don’t be late.” 

“Yes sir.” They said in unison. 

Everett left after that and Skylar glared at him as he walked away then looked over at Tachanka who had an equally annoyed expression on his face. He moved her bag over to his other hand and opened the door, letting her go in first. With a blind hand she found the switch and flip on the lights. 

This small room was their home for the next few months, or until they finally find what they’re looking for and Harry can get them out. 

She sighed and turned to him, reaching her hand out. “I can take my bag.” 

He nodded his head and handed over her duffel bag, then walked over to the bed on the right side of the room while she went for the left. He placed his bag on the bed and sat down with a heavy sigh - Skylar hummed in agreement. 

The room was quiet for a moment, all that could be heard were the crickets outside and a distant shouting of the men training. She placed her bag on the floor and sat down with a sigh. “He seems wonderful.” 

Tachanka rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Yeah.” 

She got up from her seat when she saw the annoyed and slightly worried look on his face and sat down next to him, lightly nudging at his arm. “Hey I know you don’t want to be here, neither do I. Let’s just get through this and afterwards we can go for a few drinks, just the two of us, how does that sound?” 

The annoyed expression on his face disappeared and he looked over at her with amusement and a small smirk on his face. “That sounds like a good plan kotyonok.” 

“I thought so too.” It wouldn’t be the first time they went out drinking together, but a few other people joined them as well. Every Friday night was the time to go down to the nearest bar for a few drinks and to blow off some steam from the week. “It’ll be nice, just the two of us. We don’t usually get to do that.” 

“That’s because you never asked.” 

“Well, neither did you.” She laughed. “You could have asked too. If I wanted to go out drinking with just you.” 

He let out an amused laugh and looked at her with a smirk on his face and a brow raised in amusement and slight curiosity. “You almost sound upset over it Sky.” 

“....No, I’m just saying you could’ve asked too if you really wanted to.” 

He slowly nodded his head, though he didn’t fully believe her. She was hiding something, he could sense that. “It’s okay Skylar you can admit you wanted to go out for drinks with just me.” 

She narrowed her eyes and huffed, making him chuckle. “You know what I think I’d rather go out drinking with just Shuhrat now.” 

Tachanka was slightly taken aback by her words, his mouth falling agape. “Why him?”

“Why do you care?”

He shrugged his shoulders and sighed. “Shuhrat isn’t a people person.” 

Skylar laughed and a smile broke out across her face. She shook her head and leaned forward, giving his cheek a quick peek. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.” She patted him on the shoulder and went back to her own bed and laid down with a sigh. “I didn’t even think you could get jealous.” Tachanka became unusually quiet, forcing her to look over at him with a raised brow. That’s when she gasped and sat up. “Oh my god you really are jealous. Why?” 

He looked over at her, face neutral but his eyes were conveying differently. “I’m not jealous, if you want to go out drinking with Shuhrat that’s fine.” 

“Right.” She chuckled and rolled her eyes. “I’ll let it go for now.” 

She laid back down and placed her hands behind her head and let out another sigh. This whole uncharacteristic thing from him worried her. Why would he be jealous if she went out drinking with Fuze? They’re friends and they’ve all been out drinking before. He’s hiding something and she’s gonna find out what. 

Tachanka rubbed the back of his neck and laid down with a soft sigh, putting one hand behind his head and the other resting on his chest. He knew she was right, he was kind of jealous if she did happen to go out drinking with just Fuze. He also knew he shouldn’t be, it’s just a few drinks, or so he hopes. He was starting to come to the conclusion maybe he should just tell her, save himself the heartache. 

xXx

Glaz was lying on his stomach as he readied his rifle, Kapkan was next to him, on his stomach with the binoculars in one hand. Six remodeled the sniper facility so Glaz and Skylar could have more room with more targets, big and small. The one thing Glaz liked the most was that they changed each time, no matter how many times you’re out here, no map is the same. 

He quickly checked the magazine and reloaded his gun, then placed a bullet in the chamber. 

Kapkan placed the binoculars up to his eyes and scanned his surroundings, noticing one of the targets in the far distance. “Target, ten o’clock.” 

Glaz scanned the area in record time, then all you heard was the crack of the gun. “Target down.”

He scanned their surroundings again, eyes darting all around. “Target, two o’clock.” 

Another crack. “Target down.” 

The atmosphere was quiet, yet a bit awkward, it made Glaz glance over at him. The binoculars were still to his eyes but he could see the uncertainty behind them. “Everything alright?” 

He moved the binoculars away from his eyes and looked over at him. “Da, why?’ 

“You just seem uneasy.” He set the rifle down to give him his full attention. “Is it because Shuhrat knows?” 

“No.” He scoffed “I was just wondering if Alex hasn’t made the move yet because of his failed marriage.” 

Glaz sighed through his nose and glared at him. He thought it would be about Fuze knowing about them, but no. It was about Tachanka and Phoenix. He never expected for him to be so..intrigued about them being a couple or not. 

“I don’t think it has anything to do with his failed marriage that happened in his twenties Maxim. It has to be the age difference and I respect him for putting her feelings before his. Neither of us know if she would date someone that is much older than her.” 

“It was just a thought Timur.” He shot a glare back at him and shook his head. “I do too, I also think she would date someone older than her, because everyone is.” 

“Pick up the binoculars please and let’s go back to what we were doing.” He grabbed his rifle again and looked down at the sight. “We’ll find out when they get back.”

Kapkan mumbled something under his breath and moved the binoculars to his eyes again. 

Training went relatively well and he was thankful Kapkan was just as good with details as he is, or this would’ve been more of an issue. At least he has a training partner until Skylar returns. 

xXx

There was an hour left until selection and Skylar was pacing around the room like a caged animal. Tachanka watched her from his bed, seeing the concern and fear on her face. He stood up, walked over to her and grabbed her arms, stopping her. 

“Everything will be fine, trust me.” 

She exhaled a deep breath and looked up at him, relaxing under his gaze. “I do trust you, but you don’t know that. What if I can’t get in?” 

“Don’t say that, you’re an amazing soldier and I’m sure you’ll beat out everyone here.” He let go of her arms, giving her a reassuring smile. “I know this is scary, but there’s no need to be. We both have years of experience with this sort of thing and we’ll both be fine.” 

Skylar relaxed her shoulders and gave him a small smile. Even though she is scared of what’s to come, she was happy he could be a breath of fresh air, calming her down. It helps miraculously that Harry picked him and not someone else.

“Thank you Alex, I needed that!” 

“You’re welcome, kotyonok!” 

She let out a breath and took a seat on her bed. Of course she was still nervous, that was to be expected, but his little pep talk did help ease it. “Are you nervous?” 

He took a seat next to her, the bed dipping under his weight. “A little, not as nervous as I was when I joined the Red Army.” 

“Didn’t you say you were drafted?” 

“Da, I was.” She watched his falter for a brief second and he let out a soft sigh. “I wasn’t happy about it at first, wanted to do something else with my life.”

Skylar gave him a small smile, she might not know exactly what it feels like to be drafted, she chose to join the Marines at a young age, he didn’t with the Red Army. It must’ve been a shock though, or maybe he partially knew it would happen because he comes from a military family, and by the time he was eighteen the Soviet-Afghan war had been going on for years. 

“You clearly learned to love it, or you wouldn’t be here right now. That must’ve sucked though, to be drafted?”

“That I did, seven years is a long time, I learned a lot during my draft.” He sighed, face faltering for a moment. “I opted to join full time to hone my skill set and after the Soviet-Afghan war I didn’t know what to do. Go back to a civilian lifestyle or stay in the military? The military sounded better, at least I knew what I was going to do.” He blinked his eyes a few times and looked over at her, giving her a small smile. “I was also married at that time, it didn’t last long, a few years at best.” 

Her eyes widened, mouth slightly gaping. “You were married?” 

“I was.” He chuckled, but it quickly faded. “It seemed like a good idea at the time, later realized it was a mistake.” 

“Ended badly?” He didn’t say anything, just nodded his head. “Well I say fuck her then. She was the one who let go of a pretty amazing guy, so it’s her loss and someone else's gain.”

He let out one of his booming laughs, a smile spreading across his face. “You can say that. And thanks Skylar!” 

“You’re welcome!” She mirrored his smile and then turned her head to look at the clock, groaning in response. “We have thirty minutes.” 

“Kotyonok, it’s going to be fine. You’ve been through worse than this.” 

“Yes I have, but now we’re supposed to infiltrate a terrorist organization Alexsandr. That’s a whole other level of fucked up than being ambushed in the desert.” 

She shook her head and looked down at her hands, that was a day she wished she could forget. Unfortunately she couldn’t, it was stuck in her head forever. Seeing the Humvee in front of her being struck with an RPG, the sound of gunfire echoing throughout the dirt road, then her Humvee getting struck with another RPG, sending shrapnel and her flying down a hill. When she came to her senses she was in the infirmary, and she was the sole survivor. 

Tachanka watched her for a moment, looking down at her scar back to her face that was etched with multiple emotions. “I didn’t know that.” 

“I don’t like to talk about it.” She looked over at him, giving him an apologetic smile. “It’s how I got my scar. I was also the sole survivor.” 

His face softened under her gaze and he brought her in for a hug. “I’m sorry kotyonok!” 

She wrapped her arms around him, taking in a deep breath to control her emotions. Now was not the time to cry. “Thank you Alex!” 

A moment later she pulled away and stood up, offering her hand. “C’mon we should probably head over, see who else we’re up against.” 

He laughed and grabbed her hand and she ‘helped’ him up. “That’s probably a good idea.” She let go of his hand and headed for the door. “Hey?” 

Skylar turned back towards him, hand resting on the doorknob. “Yeah?”

“You’re going to be fine and...kick some ass out there Phoenix.” 

She let out a small laugh and smiled over at him. “Thanks Alex and the same goes for you too!” 

He walked over to her, giving her a nod. “Thanks Skylar, now let’s go show these zasranec how we operate.”


End file.
